Holder for cigarettes or the like



Oct. 1, 1935. c BUTLER 2,016,071

HOLDER FOR CIGARETTE-S OR THE LIKE Filed May 28, 1932 7220 trial?Patented Oct. 1, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlce Application May 28,1932, Serial No. 614,118 In Great Britain September 19, 1931 7 Claims.

This invention relates to holders or mouthpieces for cigarettes or thelike and has for an object to provide an improved construction whichwill permit the smoker to get the full benefit, taste, and flavor out ofthe tobacco without the nicotine.

A further object is to provide a construction which will permit oI thecigarette being smoked to the end or almost to the end, leaving acertain amount of unburnt paper or leaf covering to absorb the nicotinewhich may afterwards be shaken out or removed with the burnt ash. Italso permits the cigarette to burn slowly and prevents falling of thetobacco ash until the cigarette is substantially entirely consumed.

With these and other objects in view, this holder or mouthpiece isprovided with a portion adapted to carry and loosely hold or support thecigarette providing one or more longitudinally extending lines orsurfaces of contact with the peripheral suriace of the cigarette andwhich forms therewith one or more air fiues or ducts. If desired theholder may be in two portions adapted to engage one another when in useand which may be separated for ease in packing within a case of aconvenient size to fit the pocket.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective viewshowing one form of holder.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figures 3 to 6 inclusive are views similar to Figure 2, but showingmodified constructions.

Figure 7 is an end elevation illustrating still another modification.

Figure 8 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinalsection illustrating a further modification.

Figure 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary top plan illustrating another modification.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10., but with the cigaretteomitted.

Referring first to Figure 1, at i is indicated a mouthpiece having asocket portion 2 at one end into which the end of a cigarette 50 may beplaced, there being a passage for smoke from the inner end of the socketthrough to the opposite end of the mouthpiece as shown in dotted linesat 3. This mouthpiece has an open top inperforate trough-shapedextension 4, shown in this form as integral therewith. As shown inFigures 1 and 2, this extension has a bottom wall and upstanding sidewalls 6 spaced apart so that a cigarette may be placed therebetween,contacting along its length with the base 5 and the sides 6 to presentbetween its longitudinal contact lines or faces air ducts or passages 1between the cigarette and the inner face of the extension, the

rapid and complete burning ofthepaper and 5 the air passages I help toinsure ease of smoking. The relative amounts of contacting andnoncontacting areas determine somewhat the strength and flavor of thesmoke, the larger the peripheral surface of contact with the holder,

the stronger the smoke.

In Figure 3 is shown a modified cross section of the trough-shapedcigarette supporting portion, as therein shown it being of a somewhat Vshape, the cigarette being supported along 15 spaced longitudinal zones8 spaced from each other to form an air duct 9 between the cigarette andthe lower portions of the side walls II.

In Figure 4 a central rib I5 projects upwardly from the base portion l6of the trough, which is also provided with substantially upright sidewalls l1. With this form there are three longitudinal lines or zones ofcontact between the cigarette and the holder, as in Figure 2, but theair passages l8 between them are somewhat larger.

In Figure 5 still another form is shown in which the side walls 20 areinwardly curved so that the cigarette must be inserted lengthwise ratherthan through the open top, and ribs 2| along the tops of these sidewalls and a rib 22 along its base are contacted by the cigarette overlengthwise zones of substantial width, leaving relatively shallow airducts 23 therebetween. This form has the advantage that the cigarettecannot be accidentally detached laterally from the holder. Itsrelatively large contact zones cause substantial strength of the smoke.

In Figure 6 another form is shown in which the base 25 is provided witha concave longitudinal rib 2B for supporting the cigarette and the sidewalls 21 are spaced somewhat from the sides of the cigarette.

In Figure 7 still another construction is shown in which the troughportion is formed arcuate as at 30, the cigarette resting on the centralportion and with its side walls at their upper ends spaced therefrom asat 3|.

In all these constructions, however, it is preferable that thecigarette-supporting surfaces in the trough-shaped portion mergegradually into the socket portion 2 which takes the inner end of thecigarette in the mouthpiece, so that the cigarette is supportedthroughout substantially its entire length and without the need forunduly pressing the cigarette into the socket portion of the holder. Ifa stronger smoke is desired, this can be produced by pressing thecigarette down in the trough-shaped portion to increase the area ofcontact between it and the supporting portions.

In Figure 8 the extension for supporting the cigarette along its lengthis made detachable i rom the mouthpiece so that when not in use theparts may be separated and packed in a relatively short case which mayconveniently fit the pocket. As there shown the mouthpiece 40 isprovided with a portion 4| of reduced external diameter about the socket42 which receives the cigarette end, and over this portion of reduceddiameter may be engaged an annular member 43 at the inner end 01' thecigarette-supporting extension 44. Preterably, and as shown, the socket42, flares so as to provide for a gradual merging of its interior withthe interior of the supporting extension 44 so that the cigarette issupported for substantially its entire length. Where the detachableextension is employed, as shown in Figure 8, the mouthpiece portion 40may be used alone as an ordinary cigarette holder if desired. Thecigarette should preferably extend just beyond the end of the supporting extension so that it may be readily pushed into and held in thetapering mouth of the holder as in the case of an ordinary cigaretteholder, though it need not be pushed in so tightly because it issupported mainly by the extension in which-it rests. This is anadvantage as the passage for the smoke and air is not choked. The depthof the trough and the spacing or width of the ribs or areas whichdirectly contact with the cigarette may be varied as desired, suchvariations determining to some extent the character 01' the smoke, thedeeper the trough and the greater the area of contact with thecigarette, the stronger the smoke. It has been found that if theengagement of the cigarette with the extension and the cross section ofthe air ducts is uniform throughout the length of the extension, thesmoke becomes stronger as the cigarette becomes more nearly consumed. Inorder to avoid this, at least to some extent, the cross section of theair ducts may be increased toward the mouthpiece, this being shown inthe construction oi! Figures 8 and 9 where the air ducts 45 on eitherside of the central cigarette contacting rib 46 and between it and theside walls 41 are deeper adjacent to theannular portion 43 than at theirouter ends.

In the form shown in Figures 10 and 11, also, the side walls 48 of theextension are shown as being more widely spaced from the sides of thecigarette 50 back from its outer end for the same purpose. The width ofthe cigarette-contacting portion may also be reduced toward themouthpiece for the same purpose, as shown by these figures if desired,with or without increase of cross section of the air duct or ducts. Theair duct or ducts and such cigarette-contacting lengthwise portion asmay be desired, may, as shown, be gradually tapered throughout the majorparts of their lengths.

The user of the cigarette holder constructed as hereinbefore describedis enabled to get much more taste and flavor out of the tobacco of thecigarette without the nicotine and without burning all the paper. Thussmoked it somewhat resembles the taste of the smoke from a pipe but ismilder.

From the foregoing description of certain embodiments of this invention,it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changesand modifications might be made without departing from the spirit orscope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a mouthpiece and anextension from said mouthpiece presenting a portion with which acigarette carried thereby may contact along its'length, said contactingportion being of greater width remote from said mouthpiece than nearerthereto and. tapered gradually for the major part of its length.

2. A device of the class described comprising a mouthpiece having anextension presenting portions with which a cigarette carried thereby maycontact along its length, said portions defining between them alongitudinally extending air passage between the inner face of saidextension and the cigarette, said air passage being of less crosssectional area remote from said mouthpiece than nearer thereto andgradually tapering for the major part of its length.

3. A device of the class described comprising a mouthpiece having achanneled extension presenting a portion in said channel with which acigarette carried thereby may contact along its length, said portion anda side of the channel defining between them a longitudinally extendingair passage, said air passage being of less cross sectional area andsaid contacting portion being of greater width remote from saidmouthpiece than nearer thereto, said air passage and said portion beinggradually tapered lengthwise throughout the major parts of theirlengths.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a mouthpiece and an opentop trough extension from said mouthpiece presenting a portion withwhich a cigarette carried thereby may contact along its length, saidcontacting portion being of greater width remote from said mouthpiecethan nearer thereto and tapered gradually for the major part of itslength.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a mouthpiece having anopen top trough extension presenting portions with which a cigarettecarried thereby may contact along its length, said portions definingbetween them a longitudinally extending air passage between the innerface of said extension and the cigarette, said air passage being of lesscross sectional area remote from said mouthpiece than nearer thereto andgradually tapering for the major part oi. its length.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a mouthpiece having achanneled open topped trough extension presenting a portion with which acigarette carried thereby may contact along its length, said portion anda side of the channel defining between them a longitudinally extendingair passage, said air passage being oi. less cross sectional area andsaid contacting portion being of greater width remote from saidmouthpiece than nearer thereto, said air passage and certain of saidportion being gradually tapered lengthwise throughout the major parts oftheir lengths. s0 7. A device of the class described, having animperforate open top trough portion of a depth at least substantiallythe diameter of a cigarette and within which a cigarette may be placedand directly supported along its length by said portion 5 over asubstantial width, said portion presenting one or more longitudinal airpassages extending substantially parallel to the axis of the cigarettebetween it and the inner face of said portion.

0 ARTHUR C. BUTLER. 7

